Do the British offend you?

Question

I have just been looking through some questions and there was a whole debate going on. A girl, who was quite naive, maybe a teenager, used the word negro but later corrected it to negroid. She was british and did not know that this word would offend anybody, but obviously it did. She repeatedly said sorry and some girl wouldn't leave her alone. I understand if someone uses the word meaning to be direspectful, but if she didn't know the word would offend, was it still correct for people to harass her for it? I don't think the British use all these derogetory terms quite as much as americans do, so if you are unaware of it and still quite young, should they be treated as racists?. Are there any other things that Brits say that would offend?

No she didn't call all black people negroids, she was asking about races. She wondered what they all were, by saying caucasian, negro, mongloid etc. She didn't just come out with something like 'what do negroids think?'

I think she did ask in the proper contexts as she was using it as a racial classification.

I don't quite understand why people are offended by my question. If you don't live around black people, if you live in an area that is predominantly white, you wouldn't know how black people would feel about certain things, perhaps she has lead a sheltered life. I don't know why she used those definitions, I don't know where she got them from. But if she said she was sorry then I don't quite get why so many people found it offensive. If she is definitly not trying to abuse people, what do people want? blood? By the way, perhaps that girl had older relatives who still use that word. I looked it up that it became offensive and people no longer used it in the 70's. Ever thought it was something her parents still said?

Answer 1

In my humble opinion, if people cant respect a different culture and way of life, they deserve to be offended.

In the case you speak of, the girl used negro not to be offensive, but because where she is from, it is an acceptable term. Obviously, if it was said with a derogetory undertone it is unacceptable i.e. "There's a stupid negro living next door" but my assumption is that it was used in a non offensive way.

In my opinion there is way too much taboo about this subject, it is like me (a brit) calling you a yank, that may offend you but I dont mean it to, that is just a term that has come into the mainstream over here to refer to american people.

Much the same as australian folk calling us Pommes, i dont personally like to be called a pomme, but I know if an aussie reffered to me as a pomme it wouldnt be an insult, merely the word which has infiltrated their regional dialect and as such, has become acceptable to them.

If a name like this does offend someone, rather than jump straight in with all guns blazing berated someone for being racist or whatever, the person should just serve the other person notice and say "please dont refer to me in that way, i prefer to be called . . . . . . whatever." Once this notice has been served persistant use of the same term will rightly attract that tirade of comebacks as it has been made clear that they find it offensive.

Answer 2

I agree with most of the comments relating to this question.

I am British and proud of that and would not, indeed could not, offend anyone even if I tried.

It sounds as though this young girl made a mistake, which she then apologised for, however I'm not sure she needed too really because the definition of 'Negro' in the Collins Gem English Dictionary is as follows:-

Negro - Old-fashioned member of any of the Black peoples originating in Africa.

So by definition she was simply using an 'old-fashioned' word not a 'rascist' one.

Let's all now lighten-up please XX

Answer 3

I don't think she should be harassed about it. I think pointing it out is the right thing to do but once you find out she was un-aware of how that word effects people, its not fair to berate her - just leave it alone - that's what people who are offended want her to do right?

When I was a kid, my parents subscribed to a Time Life Books science series for my sister and myself. There were all sorts of cool topics - a book for biology, astronomy, anthropology, geography, etc.,... Among other things, I learned for the first time about DNA, Darwinism, Plate Tectonics and the Big Bang Theory.

We used it as a reference source for a long time through school. In these books, the scientific terminology used would be considered highly offensive yet at the time was perfectly normal and accepted.

In the Anthropology book studying human evolution from Neanderthals and Cro-Magnon Man to modern Man. There was even a chart with a map and pictures showing what skin tones and facial features are like in various parts of the world giving theories as to why the layout is the way it was. You could see patterns like the closer you get to the equator, the darker the skin tone generally is. The farther you go from it, the more hair a person is likely to generally have. Very informative yet today would these charts be considered racist and thrown out of the classroom that they are factually correct - this is in fact a good example of what someone from Norway looks like?

From the books using early 80's Scientific terminology for the major three races classifications as per this book (alphabetically)

Causasian, Negroid, Mongoloid

The common every day words used were (alphabetically)

Black, Oriental, White

Today those words would cause big trouble, so everyone changes their word usage to avoid trouble (Political Correctness)

African American, Asian American, European American

Come on people - how about we stop LOOKING for reasons to be offended. Even if you do insist, if you can't find a good reason to be offended, isn't that a good thing? Then again, if you look hard enough, you can always find a reason.

Heck, I remember as an innocent little kid, too smart for my own good sometimes - say 7 or so. My parents would have friends I hadn't met over for dinner. I'd run downstairs after meeting our guests and consult this book t try and see if I could figure out 'where they came from' anthropologically speaking. I'd say things at dinner like "My family comes from Europe, where does your family come from?" Always either a grin and/or a laugh, then my parents friends would tell me that they come from say New York city (or where ever), but then proceed to tell me that they come from North Africa or South East Asia or Central Europe. Usually a cool conversation got started about culture and I'd learn all sorts of neat stuff about the homeland of the guest. That's where I first heard the story of the 47 ronin which sparked an interest in the martial arts I carry to this day.

Usually I was right and not in the general sense, but the specific sense. Was I a racist even though I was factually correct about a genetic and anthropological reality? I don't think so. Would I have been a racist if I treated any of them differently because of these facts? Yes. Did I treat people differently? I wasn't raised that way and so I didn't and still don't - I get to know the persona bit and base my judgments on that - people come in all shapes, sizes and colors. So do @$$holes. I treat people the same as other people, @$$holes the same as other @$$holes.

Where would I be today if I had been berated and lectured for my curiosity when I was a child? What opinion would I carry of people different from me?

I wonder how offended Neanderthals would be to know what we call them today. I do however think there is a point where people have to get thicker skin and not be offended so easily - nobody was at the dinner table when I was a kid so why 25 years later are so many people offended when they run into the same kinds of naivety I had as a kid? Is intent not a factor anymore and its all about words that can always be twisted and misinterpreted?

Answer 4

I do not find the British to be offensive. The one lesson I learned the past year that is truly a keeper for life is that most things that one finds offensive has to do with culture. I live in Utah, USA, and the culture here is extremely LDS centered. Not being LDS, I used to think that it was them that I found offensive. Then I took employment with a company that is ran by a fellow who is LDS, but not Utah born and bred. What a difference! Though debate and discussion with him, we came to the fact that it is really about culture. Not race or religion or anything else.

When I choose to apply this lesson learned, and be respectful of others cultures as I would hope they would be of mine, I have found I am not so easily offended!

I did once have a Brit for a boss, and he was quite the kick!!

Answer 5

I am British and proud and I am sorry for the girl's mistake but that is all it was a mistake.
British people don't generally mean to offend anyone.......well the majority don't, even though there are some pretty dodgy groups of people about over here.
British people are generally less judgemental than Americans of people from different races........and as we have different words and meanings of words it is easy for a youngster to get confused and use the wrong words in the wrong way ect..........but i do think we accept and embrace people from other cultures better than Americans and many other cultures.
And you are right to say we don't use derogatory terms over here either............we are better than that!!

Answer 6

i have never any theory actual. i think that is pathetic to cry about that. that is all only for laughs, have you ever ever regarded up British human beings doing American accents? British human beings get "offended" reason they say we maximum effective do the plush accents, notwithstanding at the same time as British persons do American accents, all they do is both the Valley lady or Southern accent, and we human beings think it could be hilarious. in the journey that they get offended, they in simple terms have were given to tug the 80 foot pollout of their a--es.

Answer 7

I'm an American, and no, the British do not offend me. I am well-traveled, and have many friends from all over the world. It does hurt and offend me to see posts (like some that are here in answer to your question) where people are chomping at the bit to say something insulting to Americans. I swear, these people just look for questions so they can jump in and start saying "ignorant Americans", and "fat Americans", and things like that. It makes me very sad to see that kind of ignorance and hate. I don't see Americans on here asking questions about foreigners just so they can start hurling insults. I think that type of behavior says more about the person doing the insulting than it does about the people being insulted. I'm sorry that that girl was given such a hard time about her question, when she obviously didn't mean any offense. That type of response is not the way the majority of people here are.

Answer 8

Interesting question. I'm English and you're right. The whole race debate isn't as heated here as in the US, certainly not between black and white people anyway. Black is almost always used and seems acceptable here.

I think yahoo answers attracts a lot of people who enjoy scrapping.

Answer 9

What kind of steroetypical question is this.

a British teen called someone a negroid' LOL

There are Brits AND Americans and other nationalities that use derogatory remarks. I have heard plenty of Americans call blacks niggers and plenty of Brits call blacks niggers too.

Why are you singling out this particular scenario? Besides, it was an unnecessary conflict between two people - shouldnt you keep your nose out of it?

Answer 10

You'll find that many among the befuddled babble of the world are at a lower level of spiritual and cognitive development and fall into "taking sides" mentality. They divide humanity into two groups, thems and us, per race, religion, political party, gender, bearded or not bearded, left-handed or right-handed, meat eater or not meat eater, good spellers or not good spellers, etc. They get off on finding fault with the "other" side. And, they get off on feeling "offended" by the actions of the "other" side. It's rather pathetic. A true measure of greatness and wisdom is not how "better" we are than others but rather how well we help others better themselves. As for "do the British offend me?" Nope. As a matter of fact, the best sex that I've ever had in my life was with a Brit. I still daydream about that.